Kidnap case on Soren kin likely

Ranchi, Feb. 16: Police are gearing up to file a chargesheet in court against JMM leader Sita Soren after the kidnap allegations of her former personal assistant ' a CBI witness in last year's Rajya Sabha cash stash scandal ' were found to be true during investigations.

Police have corroborated the kidnap charges by Vikas Pandey against the Jama legislator and two bodyguards following investigations by the Argora OC and supervision of the report by senior deputy superintendent of police (Hatia) Anuranjan Kispotta.

"The development took place a week ago. It has opened the door for the arrest of the JMM leader for kidnapping a witness in the Rajya Sabha cash-for-vote case registered with the CBI," a police source said.

On December 25, 2012, an FIR was registered against Sita, the widow of late Durga Soren and daughter-in-law of JMM supremo Shibu Soren, for kidnapping Pandey from Sahajanand Chowk at Harmu Housing Colony under Argora police station around 7.30pm the previous night.

SSP Saket Kumar Singh said, "As the FIR has been found true, further legal action will be taken. It includes filing a chargesheet in court and seeking an arrest warrant against her."

The FIR was registered under Section 363 (kidnapping) of IPC at Argora police station area on the statement of Pandey's wife Reena, who alleged Sita of abducting her husband with the help of bodyguards.

Reena alleged that when Pandey was returning home on a motorbike around 7.30pm, Sita overtook him in a white car and asked him to stop. After he stopped, she alleged that the MLA dragged him into her four-wheeler with the help of her bodyguards.

She added that Sita took him to her official residence at Sector II, Dhurwa, and beat him black and blue, mounting pressure on him to change his statement given before court in the Rajya Sabha case.

Though the FIR was lodged under Section 363 (kidnapping) of the IPC, police probe found that the MLA is also liable to be prosecuted under Sections 365 (wrongful confinement) and 504 (insult with intent to provoke breach of peace).